what is it?
Turkish has two distinct mechanisms for expressing a reflexive meaning — that is, an action directed back at the subject. The first is a derivational suffix -(I)n that is fused onto a small, closed set of verb stems (e.g. yıka- → yıkan-, giy- → giyin-). These forms are lexicalised — you cannot freely attach -(I)n to any verb to create a reflexive. The second mechanism is the pronoun kendi, which inflects for person and case and covers the full range of reflexive and emphatic «self» meanings that -(I)n cannot.
when to use it
Lexicalised -(I)n verbs — use the fixed -(I)n form when the verb belongs to the closed set of everyday grooming or covering actions: yıkan- (bathe/wash oneself), giyin- (get dressed), taran- (comb one's hair), örtün- (cover oneself). These verbs are intransitive — they take no direct object.
Reflexive object with kendi — use kendi + the appropriate case suffix when the subject acts on itself and the verb is transitive (e.g. kendimi gördüm — I saw myself).
Emphatic «self» with kendi — use kendi (without a case suffix, or with the nominative) to emphasise that the subject — and no one else — performed the action (e.g. bunu kendin yaptın — you did this yourself).
formation
The -(I)n suffix follows four-way vowel harmony. After a stem ending in a consonant, the buffer vowel is inserted: the vowel matches the last vowel of the stem (ı / i / u / ü). After a stem ending in a vowel, -n attaches directly. The resulting verb is then conjugated like any other intransitive verb.
| base stem | reflexive stem | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| yıka- | yıkan- | bathe/wash oneself |
| giy- | giyin- | get dressed |
| tara- | taran- | comb one's hair |
| örtü- | örtün- | cover oneself |
The pronoun kendi takes personal suffixes and then a case suffix, in that order: kendi + possessive + case. The table below shows the accusative forms, which are the most common reflexive object forms.
| person | kendi + accusative | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | kendimi | myself |
| 2nd sg. | kendini | yourself |
| 3rd sg. | kendini | himself / herself / itself |
| 1st pl. | kendimizi | ourselves |
| 2nd pl. | kendinizi | yourselves |
| 3rd pl. | kendilerini | themselves |
For emphatic use (no case suffix), the possessive suffix alone is enough: kendin = yourself (emphatic), kendim = myself (emphatic). Other cases (dative, ablative, etc.) follow the same pattern: possessive first, then the case suffix.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Treating -(I)n as productive. Learners sometimes try to attach -(I)n to any verb to create a reflexive meaning — for example, *övün- to mean «praise oneself» (övün- actually exists but means «to boast», not a transparent reflexive). For verbs outside the closed set, use kendi with the plain verb and the correct case suffix.
Doubling a reflexive verb with kendi. Because giyin- already encodes «oneself», adding kendini is redundant and unnatural: *kendini giyindi is not standard Turkish. Use either the -(I)n verb alone (giyindi) or kendi with the base transitive verb.
Confusing transitive giy- with intransitive giyin-. Giy- is transitive and requires a direct object: ceketini giydi (he put on his jacket). Giyin- is intransitive and takes no object: giyindi (he got dressed). Mixing them — *ceketini giyindi — is an error.